Meter



E. B. CADE.

METER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17. 1920. RENEWED APR. 10.1922.

1 4.2 1 905 Patented July 4, 1922.,

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Ezwafixflade N 12? 1 E.-B. CADE.

METER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17. 1920. RENEWED APR. 10.1922.

1,421,9U5, Y Patented July 4, 1922.,

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@NITEE STATES FATE METER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 41, 1922.

Application filed May 17, 1920, Serial No. 381,811. Renewed April 10, 1922. Serial No. 551,208.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, Enos B. CADE, a citizen of the United States of America, and res-ident of the city of Portland, county of Multnomah, and State of Oregon, have invented certain new and useful" Improvements in Meters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to liquid meters and consistspf smear of that type which employs a cylinder and a piston which is reciprocable therein.

The .object of my invention is to provide a meter of this type havingcertam features of construction which enable the same to be made of a simple character and with valyes and operating mechanisms therefor which are capable of being actuated by the piston and to construct such meter employing a single cylinder and piston.

A further object of my invention is to so construct thevarious parts as to be able to combine therewith a counting mechanism which is of a simple and reliable character.

In the accompanying drawmgs I have shown my invention embodied in the form of construction which I most prefer to use.

The features of my invention wh1ch I consider to be new will be hereinafter described and will then be particularly pointed out in the claims terminatin the specification.

In the drawings, igure 1 represents a longitudinal section through the cyl nder and the parts contained therein.

Figure 2 is a section taken upon the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section taken through one end of thecylmder showing the parts in somewhat different position from that shown in Figure 1. I

Figure 4 is a section taken through the attached casing which contains the special features of the counter operating mechanism.

The cylinder 1 is provided with ports, as 10 and 11, located at opposite sides thereof and extending from end to end, these forming communication between the inlet and admission ports 12 and 13, respectively, through which the fluid passes to and from the cylinder. The supply pipe is connected at the point 14 and the exhaust pipe at the po1n t ll).

The piston 2 is a floating piston; that 1s, it is a piston which is free to move lengthwise of the cylinder and does not have anypiston rod fixed thereto. This piston is, however, centrally bored to receive a rod 3, which rod 12 is closed by t port 13 is uncovered at the end of the piston movement of the has connected therewith at each end, and towards the opposite ends of the cylinder, the valves 4. These valves, or the valve acting portions thereof, consist of two rings which, as herein shown, extend substantially all the way about the wall of the cylinder but which are provided with a cut, as 40,

'to the bars 41'and in this manner is connected 4 with the rings 4 which form the valves.

Secured to each of the heads 16 of the cyl inder are bars 5 which form dogs or catches to hold the valves in adjusted positions. Each of these bars 5 is provided with a tooth or lateral projection 50 which is so positioned as to engage behind a flange 42 carried by a sleeve which forms a part of or is connected to the bar 41 of the valve. When the dog or' catch bar 5 drops its tooth 50 back of the flange 42 the valve is held in its innermost position, that-is, the position. farthest removed from its end of the cylinder. This position is shown at the right hand end of Figure 1. In this position the admission port e 'valve and the exhaust occupied by the valve which is thus held. At the opposite end of the cylinder that valve is held in its'outermost position through its connection by the rod 3 with the other valve. In thisposition of the valve the inlet port 12 is uncovered and the exhaust-port 13 is covered. In such condition the fluid under a certain amount of pressure, being admitted to the cylinder, forces the piston 2 to the opposite end. At or just after the position shown in Figure 1, the conical hub 20,. or such upon the piston, engages the end 51 of the dog5 and thus springs it away from the central axis a sufficient distance to release the tooth 50 from the flange 42. When this happens a spring6, herein shown as a helical spring, surrounding the end of the rod 3, which has been compressed by the advancing piston, acts to shift the valves to the opposite position, thus registering the position of the valves at the opposite ends of the cylinder and permitting inflow 100 equivalent cam surface as may be provided of the fluid at the right hand end of the cylinder, and the discharge of the fluid from the left hand end. The valve controlling mechanisms described are duplicated at each end of the cylinder. t

It is contemplated that the bars 5, which form the dogs, shall be supported from the heads 16 in such manner as to permit lateral movement of their inner ends enough to cause engagement and disengagement-of the tooth 50 with the flange 42. This may be secured, either by making. these bars so that they will themselves act as springs, or by pivotally mounting them upon a supporting member, as has been shown in Figure 3. In this case the bar 5 which forms the outer or working end of the dog is mounted, as at 52, upon a bar 53 which bar extends through an opening 17 in the head and screws into a nut 7 which is provided with a large flanged base engaging the face of the cylinder head. Qutside of this is provided a lock nut, as 71, so that the nut 7 may be securely fixed in position.

To hold the nut? in position against the face of the head, a clamping washer, as 72, is provided which extends over the flange 70 of the nut 7 and is secured in place against the cylinder head, as by screws 73. To in sure holding of the dog 5 toward the central axis of the cylinder and thereby to insure its promptly engaging with the flange 42 at the proper time, a spring, as 8, may be employed which engages with the dog 5 and is carried by the bar 41 of the valve. The dogs 5 are shown as passed through 0 enings as 43 in the bars 41, whereby the va ves are held against turning within the cylinder. To prevent turning of the floating piston 2, one side thereof may be made much heavier, as is shown at 21, than the oppositeside. This counterweight at one side will cause said side to remain down at all times.

I have shown a counter operating mechanism which is contained-within a casing 9 which is secured to the outer face of one of the heads. This casing is connected by a suitable opening with the interior of the cylinder, suflicient to permit passage of the flexible tape 90, which has its end fixed-to the piston 2 and is reciprocated by the movement of the piston. This tape winds upon a drum 91 contained within the casing 9 and is actuated to wind up the tape 90 by means of a torsion spring 92, The axis 93 of the drum 91 passes through the end of the casing and is provided with means for packing the opening so as, to prevent escape of the liquid. This axis carries an eccentric or cam 94, which isi engaged by a roll 95 carried by a rod 96, which rod is mounted in guides so as to reciprocate and, through the movement of which, any type of mechanism mav be operat'edf A The proportions of the operating mechanism described are such that the drum 91 is caused to make one revolution for each gallon of liquid. By this expedient it is possible to make the cylinder of such size as to contain several gallons and yet to have the registering mechanism indicate single gallons. While I have referred to the member 90 as being a flexible tape this might be wire or cord if desired.

What I. claim as my invention is:

11 A meter comprising a cylinder, a floating piston in the cylinder, axially spaced inlet and exhaust ports at each end thereof, a valve at each end of the cylinder consisting of a ring fitting the cylinder bore and movable to control both ports, and means for shifting said valves controlled by the piston, each valve being of a width to keep one of its cooperating ports completely closed until it has completely closed the other port, in shifting.

2. A meter comprising a cylinderhaving axially spaced inlet and exhaust ports in its side walls at each end, a floating piston in the cylinder, a ring valve at each end of the cylinder adapted to control. said ports, a rod connecting said valves to move them together and passing through the floating piston, springs between the said piston and the valves and means whereby power stored by compression of the springs by the said piston may be applied to shift the valves, each valve being of a width such as to keep one of its cooperating ports completely closed in shifting until the other port is also closed.

3. A meter comprising a cylinder having axially spaced inlet and exhaust ports in its side walls at each end, a floating piston in the cylinder, a ring valve at each end of the cylinder adapted to control said ports, a rod connecting said valves to move them together and passing through the floating piston, springs between the said piston and the valves, and catches adapted to hold the valves in their extreme positions of adjustment and means whereby the floating piston will first compress the springs between itself and the valves and then release the catch whichiis holding the valve, each valve being of a width such as to keep one of its cooperating ports completely closed in shifting until the other port is also closed.

4. A liquid meter comprising a cylinder having axially spaced inlet and exhaust ports in its side walls at each end, a floating'piston therein, a rod passing centrally through and having free sliding engagement with said piston, a valve in each end having its seating surfaces fitting and conforming to the bore of the cylinder and having a bar secured to said rod, a spring interposed between each valve and said piston and adapted to be compressed by the piston at each end of its stroke, a dog at each end of the cylinder adapted to engage its'respective valve to hold it inward toward the piston, the piston having a cam surface at each side adapted to engage said dogs to release the valves after the springs have been compressed, each valve being of a width such as to keep one of its cooperating ports completely closed in shifting until the other port is also closed.

5. A meter as in claim 4 having one side of its piston weighted to insure that this side be kept downward.

6. A meter as in claim 4 having guiding engagement between the dogs and the valves to prevent the valves turning.

7. A meter as in claim 4 having guiding engagement between the dogs and the valves to prevent rotation of the valves, and with the piston weighted on one side to insure against rotation of the piston.

8. A meter as in claim 1, wherein the rings forming the valves are each slit across and act as expansion rings.

9. In a positive acting meter, including a casing having spaced inlet and exhaust ports, a valve movable to open said inlet and exhaust ports alternately whereby one of said ports is completely closed before the other is opened.

10. In a positive acting meter, including a cylinder having axially spaced inlet and exhaust ports, a valve cooperating with said inlet and exhaust ports, and consisting of a ring fitting the cylinder bore and means for shifting said valve, said ring being of a width whereby in shifting one of said ports is completely closed before the other is opened.

11. 'In a positive acting meter comprising a cylinder having axially spaced inlet and exhaust ports at each end thereof, a valve at each end of the cylinder cooperating with the ports at such end and consisting of an expansion ring fitting the cylinder bore, and means for shifting said valve axially, said ring being of a width to completely close both of said ports at each end of the cylinder for an instant in shifting.

Signed at Seattle, Washington this 11th day of May 1920.

ENOS B. CADE. 

